Good marketing comes in many forms. It isn’t just about running social media ads and having billboards. Sometimes, you want your potential audience to see your brand coming a mile away and turn their heads as you pass by. But how is that possible, I hear you ask? With a branded marketing vehicle that’s been fully customized to show off your branding and message!
Think the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile or Red Bull’s Mini Coopers with the giant can in the back. Or the classic Coca-Cola Christmas truck. They’re certainly eye-catching and instantly recognizable. Even if you can’t go all out like that, there are many other types of mobile marketing tour vehicles you can use to spread the word about your company and products.
There are several kinds of mobile marketing vehicles, so you need to think carefully about which one will best spread awareness about your brand. Your perfect vehicle will depend on your experiential campaign, budget, and overall strategy for brand activation.
Today, we’ll analyze the best vehicles for mobile marketing tours and how to choose the one that perfectly fits your brand image and serves your goals. Let’s see how you can get your show on the road with style and purpose.
While it might seem like a recent development, using mobile marketing vehicles is, in fact, one of the oldest tricks in the advertising book. Back in the olden days, entrepreneurial merchants used horse-drawn carriages to sell their wares and even promote events.
In the 1940s, Pepsi Cola used custom-built, branded pick-up trucks to deliver their product and advertise at the same time. They gave out free samples and got folks excited to get an ice-cold Pepsi as soon as they saw the little truck roll into town.
Nowadays, companies have a wide variety of cars, trucks, vans, trailers, etc., to use for mobile marketing. We've prepared a small experiential marketing vehicle guide to show companies what they have at their disposal and make choosing the right vehicle for experiential marketing simple.
There is no better example of what an effective marketing tool these vehicles are than the Coca-Cola Christmas trucks. The simple mention makes you imagine the big red truck, covered in lights and carrying crisp bottles of Coke. They may be large, but that’s what makes them ideal for mobile and field marketing.
Branded event trucks and trailers are basically billboards on wheels. Not only do they have a large exterior surface perfect for branding, but their interiors are spacious enough so you can set up product displays, sampling areas, and even mini-stores that consumers can use. They also take up a lot of space when stationary, which you can use to set up other activities or engagement zones during the event. Here is how you can use a truck or trailer for mobile marketing:
If you want your brand activation to be more flexible and keep it on the smaller side, you can always go for mobile kiosks and tiny homes on wheels. Since these types of vehicles are more manageable in terms of size, they're ideal for quick set-ups in urban environments.
If you want something for a smaller activation that can easily move from place to place, there’s the always fun and whimsical tricycle with a pop-up kiosk. It’s the perfect way to distribute samples of products like drinks, ice cream, and snacks.
Then, there are larger pop-up kiosks that can open up while still being portable and easy to set up. They often feature retractable walls, fold-out counters, and even interactive touchscreens to showcase products. They are the perfect event vehicle marketing solutions for festivals or outdoor markets. Such kiosks have enough space for product displays or even live demonstrations while still being compact enough to transport between locations.
If you want to go all out during your activation without losing out on mobility, what you need are tiny homes on wheels. While small and cozy, you can fully equip these mobile units to act as a retail space, lounge area, or even a full-fledged mini-store. Imagine a tiny home with a sleek, modern design that can serve as a VIP lounge for lead generation or a mobile showroom for high-end products.
You’d think the rapid technological advancements we’re experiencing would excite people about futuristic-looking vehicles, but many consumers feel nostalgic about the good old times. Vintage and retro cars have a unique look that immediately catches the eye and draws people in for a closer look. These types of vehicles are perfect for high-end brand activations and generating buzz on social media.
And there is nothing more retro than the Airstream. These retro trailers are long, sleek, and shiny silver. Just imagine your brand name and logo plastered on the side of one of these babies. The interior is also quite spacious, and you can turn it into a one-of-a-kind experience for visitors. Let’s say you want to launch a new kitchenware line. The interior of the Airstream can be a 60s style kitchen where you hold cooking classes and product demos.
This iconic look and nostalgic vibes create the perfect Instagrammable moment. The average social media user interacts with around 6.83 social media platforms a day, which means they can share their experiences with your brand across several channels. This is an immediate marketing tour vehicle ROI for your event in terms of social engagement.
Then, there are food trucks. Did you know you can use them for more than just selling food? Yes! For example, T-Mobile often uses customized food trucks to promote its network and services. The trucks serve as Wi-Fi hotspots and have free phone charging stations. People can even get small tech tutorials or demos for new products alongside complimentary snacks and beverages.
Do you want a fully customizable promotion space that can travel from location to location? Then your business probably needs an experiential van or, better yet, a mobile showroom. These vehicles are made with branded vehicle activations in mind and provide the ideal environment for touring while showcasing products.
Their standout feature is that brands can fully personalize and customize them to suit their current activation. You can adapt the interior to accommodate interactive displays, product samples, and demo stations, allowing consumers to interact with the products.
For example, fun mobile showroom ideas for automotive brands that want to showcase their latest car can be a design studio, where potential buyers get a detailed explanation of the car’s features. Or a VR simulation pod to showcase the speed and handling.
Let’s say you’re a tech brand specializing in smart homes. You can’t take an entire house on the road, but you can create a custom experiential vehicle design and make the inside of these vans or showrooms look like an apartment. That’s the perfect stage to demonstrate how your gadgets function in the home.
There are plenty of other mobile showroom branding ideas for any business or product you want to promote. While these types of vehicles are pricier due to the customization aspect, they yield noticeable results.
If your brand is trying to establish itself as eco-friendly and sustainable, these large vehicles probably don’t appeal to you. In that case, you should look into electric bikes and scooters. You don’t have to worry about mobile tour vehicle logistics because they are small, nimble, and can move on the sidewalk or bike lane in most areas. Another positive is that they don’t affect the environment.
With their ability to navigate crowded streets and easily access pedestrian-heavy areas, electric bikes or scooters are ideal for local pop-up events, festivals, and street-level activations. You can deck them out with your logo and brand colors or even attach a small digital screen.
They are particularly effective for targeting younger, environmentally-conscious audiences. Small electric vehicles like these are excellent for fun guerrilla marketing campaigns or even sending out brand ambassadors on delivery runs to give out free samples or take surveys. They’re also very affordable, and a company can easily have a large experiential marketing fleet of scooters and electric bikes without it making too big of a financial strain.
As you can see, there are so many vehicles of different types, shapes, and sizes you can use for mobile tours and brand activations. As flashy as big trucks are, they don’t always fit into your marketing strategy. And even if you’re trying to be more sustainable, smaller vehicles simply can’t provide what your campaign needs.
So how do you know which custom vehicle marketing solutions will serve you best? Here are three main things to consider:
While having your own selection of vehicles for mobile marketing is the dream of many companies, that’s not always financially and logistically feasible. This is especially true for smaller and up-and-coming brands. Unless you’re planning on using this vehicle as a sort of mascot, are you really going to get your money’s worth out of it?
Also, will the same vehicle type suit all of your upcoming marketing efforts? So, how do you choose between food trucks vs. mobile showrooms? One is easily recognizable and easy to customize, while the other is versatile and offers plenty of interior and exterior space.
But, even if you’re not ready to commit, your company can still have its own retail brand activations on wheels. You can go the route of event marketing vehicle rentals and pick a different one for each of your mobile tours. Or, you can partner up with an experienced marketing agency to help you choose the perfect one and take care of everything that comes with customizing a branded vehicle.
When you want a moving advertisement for your next field campaign but don’t want to commit to a company vehicle, Attack! Marketing has you covered. We can provide many mobile marketing fleet options, from big trucks with trailers to eco-friendly kiosks.
We have the best pop-up marketing vehicle selection, so you’re sure to find something that fits your ideas. Once you present us with your ideas, we’ll handle the rest, including vehicle wrap design, layout planning, and tour logistics. With our expertise, your mobile marketing vehicle will be a functional tool and an unforgettable experience that drives consumer engagement and increases brand recognition.
We’ve been helping brands organize successful mobile tours for years. We have access to all the best pop-up trucks for marketing and know which vehicle suits your goals the best. We’ll equip the vehicle to easily handle your activation strategy, creating a functional, engaging space that reflects your brand’s identity and ideals. Here’s what we offer:
Need help choosing a mobile showroom, or want to know all about the best branded pop-up trucks? The mobile marketing experts at Attack! Marketing are always excited to talk shop!
If you want potential clients to take notice of your brand, even from afar, you need the right vehicle for the job. From flashy trucks to eye-catching retro trailers, mobile marketing tour trends and the ways you can market your company while on the move are endless.
At Attack Marketing, we specialize in creating high-impact mobile marketing tours and offer customized solutions that elevate your brand. With our expertise in vehicle design, logistics, and strategy, your mobile tour will stand out and deliver tangible results. Allow us to bring your brand to life with our innovative marketing vehicles. Trust Attack! Marketing to drive your branded vehicle activations forward!
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